


Unfinished Business

by anythingbutblue



Category: Samurai Champloo
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-04 21:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anythingbutblue/pseuds/anythingbutblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance encounter down the road.  Post-series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unfinished Business

_"You remember back when we started this trip? We made a little bet. The thing is... it actually came up heads!"_

"Say what?!"

"You're kidding."

"That's all."

"The whole thing was a trick."

"Why'd we even make this trip? You remember?"

"Later, guys. See you around."

*

For weeks she imagines how she'd react if one of those guys walked into the teahouse.

It's a year before she can hear _stop that man_ without expecting to hear the wild _clack clack clack_ of Mugen's geta in the dirt or see Jin's dark hair whip out behind him.

It's not bad that none of it ever happens. Not at all.

*

Sunlight filters onto his face through the branches above him, but it's whatever the hell is prodding his chest that really wakes him. When it's his face that's poked instead of his chest, he opens his eyes in anger.

The little boy standing over him goes rigid and wide-eyed, and Mugen steals the stick right out of his limp fingers.

"I'm alive, you little brat." Stick in hand, menacing, he pushes himself off the tree trunk behind him. "You better run before _you're_ not."

Not needing to be told twice, the boy yelps and races away.

Frickin' runts.

He should've learned two years ago that sleeping outside sucks, but he only had the money for eating today or for staying at an inn overnight. Unless there's a chick with big hooters in it, he'll turn down a bed for food any day.

He pats his pocket, already thinking about the shrimp tempura he's going to buy with--

Face screwed into an expression that would stop an army in its tracks, he pats his pocket again.

"Son of a _bitch_!"

*

Just in the past few years Jin has seen more of Japan than many people will in their entire lives. He finds himself unsure of his feelings about it; on one hand, the experiences have been more than he ever dreamed of when he was younger, in any stage of his training.

On the other hand, he knew when he left the dojo that it would be difficult to find a home again. Killing the Hand of God saved the lives of his companions and sated a desire for justice he had not been fully aware he had, but it provided no certainty.

He lives as he did before: one day after another.

He hasn't forgotten that in eight months Shino will be able to leave the enkiri dera as a free woman. There are nights when he lets himself wonder how she would greet him if they met again.

*

Sometime late in her seventeenth year, Fuu blossoms. She doesn't turn into the voluptuous chestnut-haired beauty she'd hoped for -- she hasn't filled out enough, for one thing -- but she can look in a mirror and surprise herself by thinking she's actually _pretty_. Still wide-eyed and round-cheeked -- she doubts that will ever change -- but not bad to look at at all. She thinks she has real sex appeal now. She could probably break someone's heart if she _really_ wanted to.

Not that she would. She doesn't think she has it in her to be so cruel... not unless someone really has it coming. And even then she'd sooner punch someone than break any hearts.

One customer, a regular, leaves her a small orange flower with his payment. On her break she goes outside in the balmy air to admire the flower, twirling it between her fingers, and then tucks it behind her ear.

From the safety of her sleeve, Momo peeks out and squeaks almost conversationally.

"Yeah." She laughs a little. "It's nice to be appreciated. I--"

"Hey, you!" a gruff voice behind her calls, "Listen--"

Her spine stiffens in recognition.

*

It's the best meal Mugen's had in months, but maybe that's just the hunger talking. Wolfing down everything placed in front of him keeps him occupied enough that he hardly looks her way once he's seated.

Having his mouth full doesn't stop him from talking, though.

"Never thought I'd see _you_ again." Didn't really think he'd want to, either, but if she's got money and she's feeling generous he's not going pass up a chance like this. It's not something he expected from her, and his stomach had been starting to rumble like thunder. "Whathahellaru--" He swallows a mouthful of noodles. "--doing working here anyway?"

And why is she just sitting there watching him eat? Why didn't she ever do that when they were on the damn road together? How many times did she nag him about sharing or stuff the hell out of herself?

She's probably feeling semi-mental again or whatever. He's not asking in case she changes her mind.

You _can_ teach an old dog new tricks.

*

Jin still believes there are no lords worth mindlessly laying down his life for, but he has also come to acknowledge that he needs money to live and his skills in this dying age of the samurai lend themselves to certain jobs. It isn't difficult to find temporary work as a guard or bodyguard. He meets with those seeking help before he so much as mentions his interest in their job, and if he doesn't like them he _never_ mentions it.

Mere thirst isn't what drives him into this village's small teahouse. As he pushes aside the curtain in the entranceway to let himself in, he can smell the nearby ocean on the air.

His eyes scan the room, and what they fall on is completely unexpected.

A far table holds three surprises for him.

The first is that Mugen, as feral and as recognizable as ever, sits there with a young lady in a pink robe. The second is the unmistakable indulgence on the woman's face as she sits across from Mugen and watches him eat.

The third is that _he knows that woman_.

*

"Yeah, it took me a real long time to stop thinking of her as that lying little bitch."

"You didn't have a big problem with it when I admitted I lied, Mugen."

"It was too late to have a problem with it by that point."

"_Jin!_"

They're as horrible as they always were, but she thinks it with a smile on her face. Even better, she notices _they're_ smiling. Mugen is even laughing... with his mouth full, of course. He hasn't changed at all.

It's a slow night, and she's about to demand to know what both of them have been doing since they went their seperate ways when a shadow looms over their table.

"Excuse me."

All three of them only turn to be greeted at swordpoint. She gasps.

"Ronin Jin," comes the voice from under the hood. "I have heard you are responsible for the death of Kagetoki Kariya. Many would not fight you, but I have devoted myself to the task. Arm yourself!"

Silent, Jin uses one long finger to nudge his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I said _arm yourself_!" the man repeats, louder. "Draw your sword now!"

She rises to her feet, defiant, blocking his view of Jin. "You can't do this in here!"

"Hey, pal. If you want a fight," Mugen offers, a hand on the hilt of his own sword, "_I_ can help you out."

"I'm not talking to _you_."

Mugen unsheathes the sword, pointing the tip at the stranger's nose. "And I don't give a rat's ass who you're talking to."

Jin clears his throat, commanding attention. "Killing me will earn you nothing."

"Killing you," the man interjects, glad to turn his eyes away from Mugen, "is my one duty."

A moment passes, all eyes on Jin, and he finally stands. "Very well."

She barely has time to duck out of the way before the song of steel fills the air. The man wasn't traveling alone: once Jin has his sword in hand, any pretense of honor is dropped. Five other men rush in to join the fight, and dismayed, she crouches under a table.

Her life was actually pretty _peaceful_ before she saw these guys again.

Mugen leaps like a monkey from one table to the next. "Six against two, huh? Seems fair to me."

Jin strikes so quickly his blade flashes like lightning; one man falls within seconds.

Just as she's creeping quietly toward the kitchen to find something to defend herself with, Mugen calls out for her. "Hey, Fuu! Why don't you use one of those bombs?"

Holding onto the door frame as through her life depends on it, she turns back. "What?"

One of his feet cracks against the face of an enemy, but his sword clashes against another's. "The pair stuffed in your kimono!"

She looks down at her chest, her mouth falling open in surprise, and then lets out a loud irritated hiss. "_Those aren't bombs_."

A killing blow spatters blood onto his cheek, and he spares a second to look in Fuu's direction. "You're kidding me."

"Shut up, Mugen!" Furious, she lets go of the door frame and rushes into the kitchen, finding a sharp knife and a large pot that she wields much like a sword and shield. Turning toward the doorway again proves she's not alone, and she raises the knife threateningly at the man who followed her. His face is twisted in a leer, but the edge of the sword he's brandishing is the bigger concern for her.

She's only the daughter of a samurai, and she never even really _knew_ the guy. She didn't learn anything from him. She isn't a fighter.

But she won't be a victim again. She's had enough of that.

"Try anything, and I'll hurt you," she promises, sounding braver than she feels.

In the same heartbeat she notices his sword start to arc through the air, Momo shoots out of her sleeve and plasters across his face. With her borrowed time, she drops into a crouch and buries her knife in his foot. He cries out in pain, his movement interrupted, and once Momo leaps to the floor she rises onto the balls of her feet and swings the pot like a baseball bat, smashing it against his face.

He slumps to the ground with a groan.

"Thanks, Momo!"

A figure in the doorway cuts her feeling of celebration short, and warily, she looks up.

Jin does a poor job of keeping the surprise out of his eyes. His hair is disheveled, his clothes torn, but she can't see any blood on him. Relief radiates through her in a warm wave, but Mugen comes up behind Jin before she has a chance to say anything.

His sharp elbow jabs Jin's side. "No wonder you got all soft, you son of a bitch. Guys like these are too frickin' easy."

Even though her hands are shaking, she can feel her expression melt into a smile. And then she laughs, arms outstretched, and runs forward to gather them both together -- whether they want it or not -- into the hug she didn't give either of them before.

"I missed you guys."


End file.
